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Anyone else dread being announced as the low handicap?


Cpm881

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I despise being the "A" player. Played in a scramble with some HS friends last month. I am a 2.8, the other 3 were 36's. I am 5'10 and 215 and pretty thick in the arms and chest so my swing is hardly long and languid, it is short, hard a choppy. The comment I got was "I expected a pro swing". Never mind that I basically played my own ball all day. I guess the expectations are what bother me-

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I despise being the "A" player. Played in a scramble with some HS friends last month. I am a 2.8, the other 3 were 36's. I am 5'10 and 215 and pretty thick in the arms and chest so my swing is hardly long and languid, it is short, hard a choppy. The comment I got was "I expected a pro swing". Never mind that I basically played my own ball all day. I guess the expectations are what bother me-

 

Lmao damn you for not having a swing like Adam Scott!

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I despise being the "A" player. Played in a scramble with some HS friends last month. I am a 2.8, the other 3 were 36's. I am 5'10 and 215 and pretty thick in the arms and chest so my swing is hardly long and languid, it is short, hard a choppy. The comment I got was "I expected a pro swing". Never mind that I basically played my own ball all day. I guess the expectations are what bother me-

 

Lmao damn you for not having a swing like Adam Scott!

 

^^^^^^ THIS^^^^^^

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When someone asks what I shoot I respond with “my goal is to break 100 “. That was if I shoot 74 or 82 I’m covered and there’s no expectations. If I tell people I’m a 4 they expect me to shoot 76

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Sometimes I'm announced as a good putter; no problem if it comes up during a round, but in advance I've only lived up to it twice: the first time I one-putted the first 7 holes (24 putts total) and the other I started with 60- and 15-foot putts, missed a 35-foot putt by inches on hole 3 and took 22 putts... both in money games which I rarely play due to 200-yard drives. That aside, expectations weigh heavily on me.

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If I ever reach a low digit I probably wouldn’t mind. I play with two guys who can’t break 100 but if it’s ever just me and one them that get paired with another group they always tell them they suck but I’m good and I tell them I’m not good I’ll shoot low 90s if it’s a good day since I’ve only broken 90 once I can’t say I’ll shoot high 80s on a good day.

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I got an invite to play with my clubs president and his two friends, after exchanging hellos, they’re setting up the bet and one asks, “how well do you play?” Before I can answer, my president says, “he could be on tour” we all laughed. First hole lipped out a 65 yard shot for eagle...signed for a 66. 1 eagle, 6 birdies, and a double haha.

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Not something I need to worry about! Golf is wonderful... :wave:

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Just read through all of the responses and I'm pretty shocked. I've worked hard to get down to a 2.6 and love trying to live up to it every time I put my peg in the ground. Maybe it's because I never played flighted anything, but to me, the entire point of playing is going out and trying to always take it lower than my last round and the pressure I put on myself to play well is equal to someone I've never met, thinking I'm going to fire a 75.

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I don’t necessarily mind it although I’m not in a position where I’m the lowest too often (handicap ranges 9-12).

 

The debate about who benefits from strokes is an interesting one. You think it could be revamped in a way to factor in par potential on a given hole, versus overall scores. Is the high cap just consistently bad throughout the round, or is it half pars and half quads?

 

I’ve been doing well in league matches at the moment as I was sick the last couple years and rehabbing. I have the potential of a lower handicap, making 3 or 4 pars for 9 holes, but league handicap is about double as I’ve been shooting bogey golf overall for the 9 holes.

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Once, and only once, I posted my real handicap at a tournament, a +4 at the time. I was the “lowest” handicap at the tourney, this I know because it was posted for everyone to see. Anyways, I’m looking at players below me and thinking “that’s funny, that 1 handicap shot -15 in a two-day tourney this year”.

 

I shot 79 day 1 and felt like a complete moron. I don’t play AM events anymore, but if I did, I’d never put lower than 0 ever again.

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I hate being the A player in ABCD events at my club. I post all of my scores. My USGA index is 5.3 and I am a 6 handicap at my home course. Most of the scores that my index is based on have come in rounds played with friends and family. I almost never come close to scoring my handicap in one day events. I am as likely to shoot 88 as I am a 78 in these type events. For some reason most club golfers do not realize that a 6 handicap's average score is above 80. I guess I feel like I let the other players down. I admit I'd be comfortable as the B player in events. And.......at least once per round I miss a short putt, lay the sod over an approach, crazy hook a tee shot, and worst of all-----have the occasional shank. All embarrassing if you're the A player.

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I don't mind it at all. We have a weekly ABCD two net ball tourney and I just try to guarantee a Par on every hole. If I make a few birdies it's a plus. The biggest help you can be is being positive to your teammates. Especially the C and D players as they are going to help you the most with strokes. Staying calm and encouraging them almost always brings their play up.

 

On the Handicap note, it's shocking at how many people don't know the process. I'd say at least 75% of golfers out there think if you are a 3 handicap you are expected to shoot a 75 every time. Most also seem to think that handicap is proportional to driving distance as well. I hit the ball a long ways off the tee and I do get the "There's no way you are a 4 handicap" comment pretty regularly. I normally just respond with "I can also hit it a long way into the woods too".

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I have and will always enjoy playing with low handicap golfers, because I usually learn a few things from watching and/or through conversations.

Maybe one day I can add to this thread as being a low handicap. Until then I will live vicariously through you all and enjoy the stories! Keep it up and keep it alive!

 

This. I'm a 11 and I've definitely added some shots to my arsenal from having low cappers show me(without me even asking) while playing a laid back round, especially shots around the green

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People expect me to light up the course. I’m more of a steady par guy...mostly ugly pars at that. LoL

 

I hate when I’m picked as the A player in a birdie game. I just start apologizing on the first tee. LoL

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Used to get to me at first but the more i got used to it the more i realized everyone is simply playing their own game. Gonna have some great and some bad rounds but you can usually still see some good in those bad days that shows a player is better just like if a player is having the day of their life its usually pretty obvious. I do partially agree with the system being unfair to low caps in match play but at my club we do full strokes and I'm giving strokes to everyone, from 1 up to 18 strokes and the matches do work out pretty even, if I play well or alright ill win or wash but if i play bad then I'm gonna lose. Only when you get a 12ish cap who goes on a 4-5 par run during 5 stroke holes does it ever get to me.

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Before I had kids and life got real I got down to a +3. I never really minded the question, what’s your handicap? I always replied I am a decent golfer that’s just happy to be here. It always seems like if I threw out an actual number the people I would play with would act funny.

 

What really used to chap my butt was playing in any kind of handicapped tournament. It never failed that somebody I was giving 20 strokes to had the “round of their lives†and smoked the field. After a half a dozen tournaments with the same song and dance the “round of their life†ruined me on anything handicapped.

 

I will say this, it seemed like a lot of the higher handicapped golfers I played with didn’t know what good golf really looked like. If I wasn’t hitting driver 350 and throwing darts I must be “off my gameâ€. They thought I should hit driver every hole and attack every pin. Heaven forbid someone lay up off the tee to hit the fairway, hit approach shots into the fat part of a green, and two putt for par.

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I play with diverse groups and I am probably low HC 50% of the time. When we play the small money game, guys up to a 22 are included and tough to beat them in net strokes but I usually do ok with a few birdies and closest to the pin games to come out ok. I honestly don’t think about the bets in anyway and just play.

When I play with the stronger groups, strokes are not involved and everything is straight up. I am not the best but can be the best on a given day so the competitive juices kick in and I want to win. These are the days when knowing HC matters to me. Going lower than someone better than you is FUN. Going lower or higher than someone worse than me on any given day does not register on my meter. I know it is a fickle game lol.

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I have never played competively or been a member of a club as an adult. Never in all my years playing was anyone concerned about handicap. But golf was always just for fun, even though we were trying to score well. We just wrote down a score and that was it. If someone scored better, well they were probaby just better. We never bet on the game. Scoring was for personal reasons, but most really didn’t care, as long as they weren’t spraying their shots everywhere. I don’t think I’m unusual for the average casual golfer, I don’t think most people care. I just think WRX attracts more serious golfers who use the handicap system.

 

 

Now as far as being introduced to new players, I would rather they think I’m horrible, then prove them wrong than the other way around. Who needs that pressure and embarrassment? The few times I get to a course I want a relaxed pressure free round. Why would I torture myself on my free time?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Absolutely hated it. 7.1 isn’t that great to me but to the avg weekend golfer they act like I’m a pro. My best round ever started with 4 birdies, two bogeys on the front. I’m playing with a guy I never met who’s amazed at my round so far(I was too but nothing to get excited about) We let a single join us and this guy can’t stop talking about how good I am, the shots I’d hit and kept saying things like”watch this he’s going to put it close.” Needless to say the back 9 wasn’t too hot. Still shot the lowest round of my career that day so it wasn’t a complete wash

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That is absolutely disgusting. 39 strokes??? How the hell is that even possible to beat?

 

I thought the maximum men’s cap was 36? High course rating?

 

He was given a 36 index, and when applied to the 128 slope rating he got 39 strokes. Three out of the eight guys don't have official handicaps, and were assigned handicaps based on a few scorecards they handed in. So yeah, you can imagine the feelings of hopelessness going through my head.

 

I know the high cappers need the strokes, or it's pointless for them to even try. But the same goes for the lower cappers. This guy hardly plays any other golf throughout the year. At what point do you say "hey, how about you get out to practice, at least try to make yourself a better golfer before we just hand you a crap-ton of strokes"?

 

I've actually suggested flighting our trip, but with only 8 guys it probably doesn't make much sense.

 

I played a "money match" with a fellow low cap and a buddy who was an admitted hack. We figured him to be every bit of a 36. He ended up getting 2 strokes on a BUNCH of holes and cleaned both of our clocks. My low cap buddy was pissed.

Same guy joins my mens club and I get him in the first round of the club match play tournament (small club, only one 16 player flight that year).

 

I played light out! Best round to this day at that track (-1 69)... I lost three down.

I birdied a par three and lost the hole when he made a par net 1.

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I don't "dread" things that are never going to happen.

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I hate being announced or known as the low handicap guy other than in my small circle of golfing buddies. I won the club championship one year and it messed me up until the next club championship tournament was held. As Club Champion I put pressure on my self to shoot lights out every time I teed it up. After all, I was Club Champion.

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